What if it’s really both/and?

All too often, environmentalism is seen as the enemy of the economic. It’s either/or, we are told. We either have a clean environment, sustainable energy, and systems that restore resources at the same rate that we deplete them, or we have good jobs, cheap prices and environmental degradation.

Some ideas presented at the “State of Sullivan County Housing” conference held at Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) on January 18 tilted that conventional wisdom on its head.

What if eco-friendly building and behaviors were not an obstacle to economic progress, but the very highway on which it marches?

As argued by Don Perry, Vice President of Business Expansion and Development for the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, “green” building, like the intimately related concept of sustainable energy, is rapidly becoming a primary engine of economic growth in the 21st century.

This being the case, sustainable development may not be merely an abstract virtue but a profitable industry. Already billions have been made by the corn and pellet stove manufacturers, who have cashed in as consumers scramble to find cheaper alternatives to fossil fuel heating, and companies that cater to the generally higher-income demographic that wants and is willing to pay for sustainable materials in its housing, furniture and clothing.

Interior air quality is also a hot issue, as we have seen in a number of our own schools recently, where mold problems have been created by building materials and procedures of recent decades (see related article on page 1). The manufacture of materials and the promotion of methods that avoid air quality problems is an obvious growth area in the nation.

There are two ways to play this game: as a consumer of sustainable building and other green industry products and services, or as a producer of those goods and services. Sullivan County has the potential to play both roles. As Perry pointed out, some local facilities could be retrofitted to produce materials that go into “green” buildings and offer them not only to the growing pool of local developers, but to companies outside our area.

But physical plants are not all that will have to be retrofitted if Sullivan is to move forward in the sustainable growth field. People also will have to be reeducated, especially those responsible for implementing the production and maintenance of sustainable growth systems: municipal officials, engineers, architects, builders, planners and more. Educational centers that recognize this fact and develop sustainable-growth-centered programs will be in a position to benefit. Why not SCCC?

To be sure, SCCC, like many community colleges, has been wrestling with educational standards, entry criteria and maintaining a profitable student body. But in the construction and maintenance of its facilities it is a leader in the field of ecologically friendly and sustainable use of resources, with innovative tools such as a geothermal plant and technology that allows minutely zoned heating management. Between the college and Apple Pond Renewable Energy Education Center, the high-tech, forward-looking facilities and the knowledgeable and impassioned people who work there could provide the nucleus of a curriculum that could attract educators and students looking to move forward and participate in the green building and sustainable energy boom.

What brings this vision to the brink of reality is the fact that all the necessary players are already lined up with a common interest in the idea. The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development and the college jointly sponsored the January 18 conference. Workforce development, the county’s planning department, the legislature, Sullivan Renaissance, the Catskill Center and Liberty Community Development Corporation were all present, and could clearly be powerful forces in implementing a game plan for cashing in on sustainable growth.

The ingredients are there: an idea embedded in the economic realities of our time, organizations and people committed to it, existing facilities that exemplify the direction in which we are headed, knowledge of the products we would like to produce and a clear idea of the example we would like to set.

All that’s needed is to work out a plan of action, and do it.

Resources

Sustainable Hudson Valley,

sustainhv.org

New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), nyserda.org

Mid-Hudson Energy Smart Communities,

powernaturally.org

Environmental consultant Simon Gruber, sgruber@frontiernet.net

Sullivan County Community College, sullivan.suny.edu

Sullivan County Department for Planning and Community Development,

845/794-3000 ext. 5028

Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, scpartnership.com

Apple Pond Farming Center and Renewable Energy Education Center, applepondfarm.com

Dr. Punnybone

American Idle